The Pull

Chapter Four (Rowena)

Lawrence lost patience and sighed, "Oh, Dear Lilith, this is going to take forever." Lawrence reached across the table and took my hand. "There is no easy way to say this, and we don't have time to ease you into it. Your brother and I and everyone you saw at my home tonight are Vampires."

I looked from Lawrence to David. Lawrence looked sincere, while David looked like he felt sorry for me. I laughed, "Well, if that's all, I'll just go to bed."

"We are serious, Rowena," David said, completely deadpan.

"David, this is ridiculous, what..." I started but was struck dumb when Lawrence opened his mouth. I watched as his canine teeth grew and his eyes became bright red. Blood drained from my face, and I felt faint. Lawrence retracted his teeth, and his eyes returned to normal. Well, normal for him.

"Holy fucking duck shit," I swore.

David smacked Lawrence on his arm. "That was uncalled for, Lawrie."

Lawrence sighed. "Are you forgetting that we only have tonight and tomorrow night to get her prepared?"

"Just be a little understanding," David implored. "For me, as well as for her." David pouted.

Lawrence put a hand to my brother's cheek and said, "How can I refuse my Inamorato?" It would have thought it was a sweet thing to say if it wasn't directed at my brother, and he hadn't just made his teeth grow and eyes change colour.

I shook myself. This can't be true. But how could I explain what I saw? "What kind of trick was that?"

"No trick, Rowena," David said. "Watch." David imitated Lawrence and descended his teeth or fangs more accurately, and his eyes became red. Then he barred his teeth and growled so softly it was almost a purr.

Lawrence had David against a wall in a flash and held him by the throat. I didn't even see them move. I screamed, "Let him go, Lawrence!" David thrashed against Lawrence, trying to free himself from his partners grasp.

Without looking at me, Lawrence said, "I cannot do that, Little Sister. His Lust is out of control. He forgets how young he is sometimes."

"Lust? I'm his sister, for fuck's sake."

"Not that kind of lust, my dear child. A bloodlust." Lawrence said with all the emotion of someone ordering a pizza. He leaned against my brother's body, began whispering in his ear. I watched, disgusted as he held his wrist to David's mouth. David's fangs sunk into his lover's wrist, and he clamped his mouth over it. David's eyes slowly lost their red hue and returned to a small ring around the edge of his iris.

I hid my face in embarrassment when I saw my brother had a raging boner and was humping against Lawrence. To make it worse, David's growls had gone from animalistic to soft moans of enjoyment.

"Can you two get a room?" I felt ill.

David and Lawrence took a few more moments and returned to the table. "I apologise, Row. This has been quite a stimulating evening," David said remorsefully.

I played with my cup of tea, turning it by the handle in little circles, thinking about all I had seen tonight. Nothing made sense if I tried to calibrate it against my knowledge of the world. If I added Vampires to the filter by which I could judge the evening, surprisingly, it all made sense. Everyone I saw appeared otherworldly. They all moved with the grace of a prima ballerina even the men, some of which, like Henry, were far too large to move that way naturally.

The magnetic pull I had felt to Henry had made me think of a magical spell. Not to mention that we both seemed to recognise in each other the deep attraction. I had dreamed of him for years, and when he appeared, I knew I had to be with him. What could explain all of this except for something unnatural or something I had never encountered before.